Vice President's Secretariat
Become change agents in building a more empathetic, caring and harmonious society Shri Naidu.
Jamnalal Bajaj awards for outstanding contribution towards the upliftment and development of society presented by the Vice President
We all need to become change agents in building a more empathetic, caring and harmonious society said Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu. He was addressing the gathering at Jamnalal Bajaj Awards function in Mumbai today.
We need to draw inspiration from socially-conscientious leaders like Jamnalal Bajaj ji in bringing about reforms and changes in the mindset of people, he further said.
Shri Naidu presented Jamnalal Bajaj Awards for the year 2018, which are given annually to recognize and honour the outstanding contribution of selfless people towards the upliftment and development of society, rural community and the nation. There are three national awards, one exclusively for women and one international award. Each of these Awards carries a Citation, a Trophy and a Cash Prize of Rupees Ten Lakhs.
Shri Dhoom Singh Negi, Gandhian & Social activist from Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand has been awarded for Outstanding Contribution in the field of Constructive Work category.
The award in the category Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development was jointly given to Ms. Rupal Desai & Mr. Rajendra Desai, Hon. Jt. Directors, National Centre for People's Action in Disaster Preparedness, Gujarat.
The exclusive award for women, in the category, Development and Welfare of Women and Children was presented to Ms. Prasanna Bhandari, Convenor, Shri Karni Nagar Vikas Samiti, Kota, Rajasthan.
The International Award for Promoting Gandhian Values Outside India was given to Dr. Clayborne Carson, Founding Director, Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, United States of America.
The Governor of Maharashtra, Shri CH. Vidhyasagar Rao; the Minister for Higher and Technical Education Maharashtra, Shri Vinod Tawde, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, Shri Rahul Bajaj, Justice Shri Chandrashekhar Dharmadhikari and other dignitaries were present at the function.
About the 2018 Winners
Shri Dhoom Singh Negi
Shri Dhoom Singh Negi, also known as Guruji in the region, is a passionate social worker in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, who has led many movements in the Uttrakhand region.
Smt Rupal Desai & Shri Rajendra Desai
Smt. Rupal Desai, an architect and Shri Rajendra Desai, a structural engineer, shifted from their careers in the corporate world in modern steel and timber architecture and petrochemical plants in the USA to the voluntary sector in India in 1984. They eventually decided to work for rural India with two resolutions, first to put to use their technical background for the betterment of the people and community in rural India and the second was to work not to earn their living.
Smt Prasanna Bhandari
Smt Prasanna Bhandari is the Convener and guiding light of Shri Karni Nagar Vikas Samiti, Kota . She works for the cause of the deserted and relinquished infants, destitute children, distressed women and girls and helpless aged persons.
Dr. Clayborne Carson
Dr. Clayborne Carson has had a longstanding interest in the impact of Gandhian ideas on Martin Luther King and the African-American freedom movement which led him to teach a course on Gandhi and King in 2008.
About The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation Awards
Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation continues to work towards propagating Gandhian values and Shri Jamnalal Bajaj’s ideologies. The awards for outstanding contribution in the field of Constructive Work and Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development ; and for Development and Welfare of Women and Children  in the memory of Smt. Jankidevi Bajaj, wife of Shri Jamnalal Bajaj, are given to Indian nationals. The International Award, instituted in 1988 in commemoration of the birth centennial of Shri Jamnalal Bajaj is presented to a foreign national for promoting Gandhian values outside India.